Weekly Reflections (Page 5)

We are closing this liturgical year with the celebration of the Solemnity of Christ the King of the Universe and our readings prove beyond any doubt that, out of love for us, Jesus Christ gave up his royal status to share in our lowly human predicament so that we could inherit his Kingdom. This solemnity is full of surprises, to indicate that the life of a true believer must be a life where surprises become the rule rather than the exception.  The…

A friend once told me of being invited to the White House. As part of a group that would have an audience with the president, his invitation also included specific protocols that would need to be followed. The list included items such as when and where to arrive and what to wear. I imagine the same would be true if we were invited to an audience with a king or queen. For a moment, however, ask yourself what would happen…

About 120 years ago, a woman entered a New York City department store during a heavy storm, wet and disheveled from the weather. Because business was slow that day, the sales clerks had gathered together and were talking baseball, even though there was other work they could have been doing. It was a lazy afternoon, and they were more interested in their discussion, so they ignored the customer—except for one young man we’ll call Henry Lattimore—who went over to the woman, spoke…

By Deacon Gregory Webster I love this season of the year. I love the crispness in the air and the colors of the leaves changing. While I don’t like the shortening of our days, I like how nature is telling us that time and change stop for no one. The Church is in accord with this changing of the seasons. As we see “death” in the green foliage of summer fading away, our Sunday Gospels have also returned to the theme of…

For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. If it weren’t said by Jesus, we would think that this statement is so unfair, and even cruel; but it is a simple observation of what goes on in us and all around us, daily. Physically, as they stop exercising and watching their diet, former athletes grow soft and flabby. Brains…

The allegory of the ten virgins is another clever way devised by Jesus to simplify for us our longing for admission to the endless Wedding Feast of Heaven. This is how we could put this longing into modern terms paraphrasing Jesus’ concluding statement: Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour. (Matthew 25:13) “Live your life, daily, the way American kids live the days and nights before Christmas.” Their behavior improves dramatically. It is much easier for Mom and Dad…

Twenty-six years ago, I visited the Temple’s Wailing Wall in Jerusalem. There I witnessed a disturbing sight; it was a roadshow of sort. Some very devout Jews tried their best to draw everyone’s attention as they, with the help of their attendants, put on quite wide phylacteries on their foreheads and on their left forearms. Phylacteries are leather cases containing some passages of the Torah, held on the forehead and on the left forearms by leather straps. After donning their cloak with long tassels and making…

By Vincent Ryan Ruggiero The hatred of Jews is manifest once again in the massacre of hundreds of Israelis, including unborn children slashed from their mother’s wombs and beheaded before their parents’ eyes. Equally disgusting are the gleeful celebrations of that barbarism that took place around the world. Ancient facts rush once again to mind. The Son of God was Himself a Jew as were his ancestors. A Jewish woman carried him in her womb, nursed him, loved him more…

For the Jews, 2000 years ago, there were 613 precepts of the law, some bigger, more important than others considered less important; of these precepts about half were given as positive commands and the other half as negative commands. Hence, for well-intentioned people the need for simplification was real and pressing. The question put to Jesus was roughly this: “Rabbi, in a nutshell, what do we have to do to make it to Heaven?” We should reflect on the answer…

In the Gospel of Matthew (22:15-21), Jesus teaches us that he expects us, his disciples, to be consistent, viscerally grateful and of solid integrity. After seeing the embarrassment of the Pharisees as Jesus repeatedly exposed to public scrutiny their inconsistency, ungratefulness, and dishonesty, we should decide to conduct ourselves in the spirit of truth. How embarrassed had the Pharisees been? All four gospels record the many times their hypocrisy was unmasked by Jesus. In this gospel passage (Matthew 22:15-21), we realize that…

For decades, E.F. Hutton was one of the most respected financial firms in the United States. While providing investors with solid investing advice, the firm became known for its powerful TV commercials. Their commercials were set at restaurants, dinner parties, or where large groups of people were gathered. Each began with crowd noise generated by many conversations when suddenly, a young professional’s voice would cut through and remark that “his broker was E.F. Hutton.” Instantly, those gathered would turn, stop all conversation, and listen to him. And…

By Vincent Ryan Ruggiero Most of us are still struggling to grasp the enormity of the recent attacks on Israel by Hamas. We heard the reports and saw the pictures of what was done to civilians. Families butchered in their beds. Babies decapitated and burned alive with parents forced to watch. Men massacred. Women dragged away, gang raped, slashed, and beaten to death. And the absurd irony is that the perpetrators who slaughtered “God’s chosen people” believed God was directing them…